1. Field of the Invention
2. Description of the Related Art
Table saws and router tables (herein after often include a rip fence attached to the top surface of the table and parallel to the saw blade. Most worktables also include a ‘T’ slot formed on the top surface of the table that extends parallel to the rip fence and on the side of the saw blade or router bit opposite the rip fence. The ‘T’ slot is designed to receive a ‘T’ channel attached to the bottom surface of a miter guide that is used to push the wood stock towards the saw blade or router bit.
Heretofore, adjustable feather boards have been used on table saws to ‘cut’ a piece of wood stock in a longitudinal direction parallel with the grain. Feather boards typically include a set of fingers located along one edge that press the piece of wood stock against the rip fence and prevents it from drifting during the cutting or routing operation.
When cutting a piece of wood stock longitudinally (also, called ripping) or when shaping the wood stock with a router bit, it is also important to firmly hold the wood stock downward against the top surface of the worktable.
Because many rip fences used today are not securely held down at both ends to the worktable, mounting a vertical feather board to the rip fence is undesirable because the rip fence may rise off the worktable. Also, it is impossible to laterally reposition the vertical feather board with respect to the rip fence if the vertical feather board is directly clamped to the rip fence.
Unfortunately, no device exists today that simultaneously holds the wood stock firmly against the rip fence and firmly against the top surface of the worktable.